PRESS DIGEST- British Business - June 21

June 21 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

British Prime Minister Theresa May avoided a Commons defeat over her crucial Brexit bill on Wednesday after pro-European Tories backed away from a confrontation with the government. bit.ly/2KaCL5m

The European Union will target 2.8 billion euros ($3.24 billion) of U.S. products from speedboats and motorcycles to orange juice and cigarettes as it hits back tomorrow against U.S. President Donald Trump's steep tariffs on steel. bit.ly/2Ka9Z4M

The Guardian

Walt Disney Co has boosted its offer for Twenty-First Century Fox Inc to more than $71 billion in a bid to knock rival Comcast Corp out of the battle to buy the bulk of Rupert Murdoch's entertainment empire. bit.ly/2Ka3Sh8

Britain is facing a shortage of meat, salad and ready meals – as well as a World Cup beer drought – as stocks of carbon dioxide used by the food and drink industry run low. bit.ly/2KaBJq0

The Telegraph

Airlines IAG and Ryanair are launching legal action against the French government over air traffic control strikes, saying it is an issue which has been "forced on airlines and forced on our customers". bit.ly/2K7l9HH

J Sainsbury Plc's chief executive has admitted that the UK's competition watchdog will probably demand store disposals in order to approve the supermarket's merger with Asda, as he was grilled by a committee of MPs on the details of the deal. bit.ly/2K4c9mL

Retailer Poundworld, which went into administration earlier this month, has started a closing down sale across its entire estate of shops - but says it still hopes to survive. bit.ly/2KdsaGO

The Independent

The chief executive of Volvo Cars, Hakan Samuelsson, has issued a powerful warning to the Trump administration not to impose tariffs on foreign car imports and insisted that a global company like the Chinese-Swedish car manufacturer has a responsibility to stand up for free trade. ind.pn/2K5SJ0N